Team Goals
State Teams: Arizona | California | Illinois | Missouri | Ohio | Oklahoma | Utah | Washington
Community Teams: Chaparral, New Mexico | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Orange County, California
National Team: Groundwater Foundation
I.
Goals our team is working on
A.
Finishing up the YR 1,2, and 3 EETAP goals and objectives
(includes database project)
B.
Starting to conceptualize future EETAP goals (YRS 4, 5, and
beyond)
C.
In parallel AAEE is working on strategic goals; EETAP goals
should support these strategic goals.
D.
Planning for database marketing and future.
E.
AAEE membership recruitment (a goal and a task)
F.
Annual Conference Planning (for Conference September 18 � 21)
is a task we are actively working on.
II.
Major questions/issues we are facing
A.
Going into EETAP planning w/o completion of AAEE strategic goals
B.
What is the focus/intended audience of AAEE (image of AAEE)
C.
What EETAP�s role should be in AAEE in the future?
D.
Do we need to work for EE standards in the AZ State Standards or
work to demonstrate how current standards meet EE goals?
E.
Do we need a paid AAEE position?
F.
How
do we increase the diversity of our organization?
G.
Long Term funding sustainability?
III.
How we plan to use our time
A.
Networking with other EETAP states � learning from them to
avoid �reinventing the wheel�
B.
Planning future EETAP goals
C.
Draft a Scope of the Work for YRS 4 and 5.
Discussion:
At the Leadership
Clinic we want to consider what AAEE has achieved with the EETAP grant,
namely building a strong infrastructure.
Based on these accomplishments our main focus will be how we
build on this foundation - which direction we take the organization.
Then based on that, what kind of State-wide, and regional
coalitions do we need to strengthen or establish?
What specific goals and objectives emerge from that direction?
Issue: It is generally agreed by most
Californians involved in the field of environmental education that there
is an urgent need to analyze and change the nature of existing
environmental education leadership structures in California to more
effectively engage and serve our diverse constituencies.
Goal:
GSEEC�s (Golden State
Environmental Education Consortium) California ETTAP Diversity
Leadership Project represents an active effort to develop a diverse,
effective and dynamic leadership in the field of the environmental
education in California.
Objectives:
Objectives to achieve this
goal include:
- The
development of action strategies that will enhance leadership
opportunities for individuals from under-served populations.
- The
development of a list of partnering orgs with similar missions that
already serve underserved populations.
- The
development of mutually beneficial relationships with those
organizations
- The
organization of a workshop /seminar process that will assist GSEEC
members in identifying these strategies
- The
intentional expansion and recruitment of new GSEEC members from
under-represented populations
- The
identification of cohorts and allies that can be engaged as partners
in addressing the task of developing an effective diversity
leadership development work plan
- The
diffusion of the work plan through workshop/s with California
environmental education organizations and their collaborators
Major
questions:
- How do we develop new strategies
for reaching and maintaining inclusion?
- What can we do to change EE's
language, rhetoric, and activities to be relevant to underserved
populations?
- How do we take it to the next
level and create equity in environmental education?
- What
can we do to create new leaders in environmental education?
- Where
are successful educational efforts that promote leadership
development?
- How
can the media help us achieve these goals?
How
we expect to use our time at the clinic: The
California team will focus on developing action steps and processes that
will guide GSEEC as it addresses the aforementioned goals.
Illinois is looking
forward to having an extended amount of time in which to strategize and
work together. Capacity building is an exciting venture and with the
help of the EETAP grant, we have begun to create a network within the
state; however, the demands of �everyday, real� jobs have taken
their toll during the past year, in addition to the stress of holding a
regional conference and leadership clinic. We have moved forward on our
goals: 1) to develop and deliver a Train the Trainer Model Workshop for
the Tools Workshop; 2) to build an internet website on EE-Link;
and 3) to deliver a coordinated approach to teacher education, but as in
every worthwhile endeavor, nothing has proceeded in a linear,
straightforward manner. We need to review together and celebrate what we
have already accomplished statewide as well as regionally, and then map
out and design a process for continuing to move forward.
Our biggest
challenge continues to be communication. When EE-Link is up and running,
this should help, but communication is much bigger than a website. We
need to discuss what �Centers of Regional EE� might look like. The
goals of the grant were specific to teacher education and included
preparation for non-formals (Tools), building a one stop shopping site
for all (EE-Link), and coordinated teacher trainings. Identifying what a
coordinated approach to teacher education would look like is the purpose
of our evaluation tool, which is currently in design.
We need to empower
the coordinators of the various regions to move forward. They, in turn,
need to recognize and learn how to use existing support structures,
identify and create networks, and maximize the time and opportunities
available.
Major Issue the MEEA
Team is Facing:
MEEA currently has
two tangible member benefits: an
EE Certification Program and a searchable database for EE organizations,
services, events, and resources in Missouri. The certification program
currently has about 90 enrollees and one certified educator.
This program needs an administrator that can maintain participant
records and promote the program. The
database is currently in the testing phase; provider recruitment and
data entry have begun. Before
the system goes �live�, the data entry process needs to be
streamlined, and an administrator needs to be hired for continued
promotion and maintenance of the program.
The main challenge
to sustaining these membership benefits is financial support. Since its
inception, one of MEEA�s primary supporters was the Missouri
Department of Conservation (MDC). Recently,
due to deficits in the state economy, MDC has been forced to redirect
its funds, forcing MEEA to become self-sufficient by September 2003.
The current board feels that the membership benefits must be
maintained in order to sustain MEEA as an organization.
As the MEEA board is made up exclusively of volunteers who serve
2-3 year terms, the board is continually changing; this makes the
long-term maintenance of programs difficult and highlights the need for
paid staff.
Goals the MEEA Team is
Working On and
How
the MEEA Team Plans to Utilize Their Time at the Clinic:
The goal of our
team will be to create a business plan for MEEA. The MEEA team will
begin by assessing the current money matter polices of the Association. Additional planning time will be spent outlining:
(1) the costs to maintain our current member benefits (2) the
responsibilities of the program administrators and (3) a plan to bring
additional program subscribers on board. Ideally the team will draft a couple of options that can then
be taken back to the full board for review and selection.
A. Goals
1.
Increase
EE among our 5 identified underserved audiences:
High
school, urban/minority, early childhood, social studies, and language
arts
- Integrate
cultural awareness into EE
- Include
broader audiences in support of EEOhio strategic plan
B. Major questions/issues
1.
Increasing, diversifying, serving and retaining membership and
participation
2.
Funding our operations
3.
Incorporating our broader statewide strategic plan (EEOhio) into
EECO
without
losing breadth and diversity
C. How we plan to utilize our time at
the clinic
1.
Learning from others, both other states and resource people
2.
Developing specific ideas to further our goals
3.
Getting to know other team members and identifying ways to follow
up from clinic
Goals:
- To
continue to build capacity for EE in Oklahoma through inclusive and
diverse partnerships
- To
design and implement a Leadership Institute whose participants are
diverse community leaders who will develop a Master EE Plan for
Oklahoma
- To
develop ongoing financial support for annual Leadership Clinics to
reach more communities in Oklahoma and annual Leadership Institutes
to implement master EE plan
Major Questions
and Issues:
- How
to tap into those hard-to-reach groups to include them in the
consortium and the master EE plan?
(searching for new strategies)
- How
to develop continued funding for the Consortium Leadership Clinics
and Institutes?
(creative
funding strategies)
- What
other funders/supporters should we be seeking/developing to sustain
Consortium efforts?
- What
are the next steps in building EE capacity in Oklahoma?
Time Utilization
during Clinic:
The
Utah team is comprised of individuals from the Utah Certification
Development Team. The team is utilizing the leadership clinic as a way
to help prepare for the launching of the Utah Certification Program. The
certification development team has been working on development of an EE
certification program for Utah for over the past year and a half.
Currently, we are closing in on the launching of the program and will
utilize time at the clinic to put the finishing touches on various
aspects that still need to be addressed. A few of the items we plan to
address at the clinic include: historical EE documents/events/people,
marketing/promotion, mentor roles and responsibilities, mentor handbook,
USEE PAC governance specifics, program evaluation/assessment.
Goal:
Create a climate that makes EE a curriculum choice for ed reform.
Strategies:
- Promote
policies to support EE.
- Develop
academic credibility for EE
- Create
fiscal mechanism for support for EE
Major
questions are:
Policy-making
- Who
are the important stakeholders in WA that may be interested in
building a coalition in strengthening environmental education role
education reform?
- Where
is the best governing body to take our policies forward?
i.e. Are we going through the school boards, the legislature,
through OSPI�s existing structure, or attach to NCLB?
- What
exactly are we promoting that would appeal to the stakeholders and
the governing bodies to advance ed reform in the states of WA?
Academic
credibility
- Will
the Center for Contextual Learning serve as an academic home for EE?
- How
do we establish rigor around research in EE, and what programs do we
generate to undertake that research and development work?
- What
professional development programs can we build based upon research
in instructional strategies and student achievement?
- How
do we publish, publish, publish?
- How
can we establish a consistent financial flow to an academic center?
Fiscal
mechanism
- How
can the new private public partnership fund established under OSPI
auspices be funded?
- How
can we access much larger grant amounts?
- How
can the Pacific Education Institute work with stakeholders to bring
stability into EE funding?
How
do we plan to use the time at the clinic?
Our time at the
clinic will be to work cooperatively in small groups and as a large
group to answer the above questions with the outcome organized into an
action plan.
Chaparral, New Mexico
Chaparral
Community Development (CCDA) and
Project del Rio have joined forces to strengthen the leadership and
communication skills needed to address the communities� most pressing
issues. At the top of the list are environmental concerns related
to the lack of a sewage treatment plant and the challenges of
influencing change in an unincorporated community that has no elected
leadership.
Currently, CCDA is
working with other local community groups to determine the best
approaches to strengthening community participation in an area of
diverse needs and populations and few resources.
The community believes that community participation is essential
to leverage all other community actions.
One avenue for reaching the public is through the local
newspaper. CCDA will be hammering out a communication strategy during
the clinic to address political, social and economic issues related to a
wastewater treatment plant and how that infrastructure will affect the
community. With this information and other outreach efforts, CCDA and
other local community groups hope to engage residents in making the best
choices for the quality of life and health of the environment in
Chaparral.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
The goal of the
Oklahoma City Demonstration Community Project is to create an
environmental education infrastructure in NE OKC, a predominantly
African American community.
One aspect of our
project is to conduct a major community event to share information with
residents about specific environmental issues and to invite them to
participate in achieving community-wide environmental education and
awareness. This event will showcase activities developed by teachers,
parents and students as part of their core curriculums, pursuant to our
Project WET training workshop for teachers, held in May of 2003.
We also plan to conduct a �Water Watch� Educational Tour for
civic, church, business, neighborhood association and education leaders,
and to publish a series of articles that focus on environmental issues
in the community.
We will also
conduct and complete activities requisite to our Groundwater Guardian
Community designation as a method for assisting citizens to corroborate
facts with perceptions about environmental issues in the community.
Several of the
major issues facing our team are:
- Members�
time constraints
- Lack
of funding
- Partnership
recruitment/development/buy-in
- Packaging
and Marketing the message/Media Coordination
- Volunteer
base development
Our team will use the time at the clinic to continue fine tuning the plan and processing planning activities. We will continue identifying, reviewing and establishing contacts with national, state and local resources that will aid us in achieving our goals. We will also discuss plans for developing fundraising capacity to sustain the project beyond the present grant period.
Orange County, California
The goals our
Team is working on: The
Orange County Team recently completed the selection of our project; so
at this point we have established the following goals and objectives:
Project Goal:
To develop a model Stormwater Management Program to assist a school in
complying with the new Municipal Stormwater Permit Requirements with an
emphasis in environmental education.
We plan to achieve this goal through the implementation of these
objectives:
- SELECTION
of a school/district to partner with to develop a stormwater
management program to comply with the MS4 requirements
- COMPLETION
of a Stormwater Management Plan that addresses each of these areas:
- Public
Education
- Public
Involvement/Participation
- Illicit
Discharge Detection and Elimination
- Construction
Site Storm Water Runoff Control
- Post-Construction
Storm Water Management in New
Development and Redevelopment, and - Pollution
Prevention/Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations.
- DEVELOPMENT
of a �campus� stormwater education program that meets state
content standards and provides academic gain for students.
Major
questions/issues you are facing:
At this point in
the project the major issue we face is developing a process or approach
to select the school to be involved in the partnership. The resources
and expertise to complete the remaining two goals for the project exist
within the Team. What is needed is the resources and time to facilitate
the selection of the school.
How we plan to
utilize the time at the clinic:
Our Team plans to
utilize the time at the clinic to: learn techniques to better facilitate
communication and consensus among our Team; identify strategies to
evaluate the effectiveness of this project and future projects; learn
methods to build synergy between the two groups to sustain this
collaborative effort; develop a project schedule; and define the
necessary tasks and sub-tasks, time necessary to complete each task,
timelines and milestones necessary to complete the project.
Groundwater Foundation
Goals:
increase awareness of and participation in The Groundwater
Foundation�s Groundwater Guardian (GG) program.
Increasing
Awareness: Will be done by revising all GG program materials, including
GG pages on the Foundation�s web site, the Guide to GG, and the
GG brochure.
Increasing
Participation:
In 2002 150 GG
Communities and 34 Affiliates were designated in 34 states and one
Canadian province. Since GG
began in 1994, over 300 communities have participated in the program.
Of the 53,437
community water systems in the U.S., 41,691 are groundwater systems.
These systems serve 84,025,121 people.
This is an incredibly large pool of potential GGs.
Increasing
participation in the GG program has always been a challenge because it
depends exclusively upon local leadership.
Foundation staff can coach and counsel GG teams as they build
local teams and adopt and implement activities, but in the end it is up
to local leadership whether their community will earn designation as a
GG.
A project focusing
on the recruitment of small communities into GG is coming to a close.
A final report detailing lessons learned from the project will be
prepared to advise Foundation staff and others about what makes
community-based programs like GG successful.
Major
Questions/Issues
Increasing
Awareness:
- How
do most people learn about GG? e.g. internet search, through a
professional organization, newsletter, word of mouth, etc.
- Who
needs to be aware of the GG program? e.g. potential team members
(educators, ag/business, local government, citizens), local
leadership � aka �sparkplugs�, water system operators, etc.
Increasing
Participation:
- What
motivates and contributes to a community participating in the GG
program?
- How
can Foundation staff increase participation in the GG program?
- Plan
to Utilize Time at the Clinic
- Increasing
Awareness � revise GG promotional materials
- Increasing
Participation � prepare first draft of the Field Staff project
final report